Kuku Mathur Ki Jhand Ho Gayi Movie Review: Doesn't Go All The Way

With a quirky title like Kuku Mathur Ki Jhand Ho Gayi, one would have expected director Aman Sachdeva to go all the way. After all, with a Delhi setting at his disposal, a new subject and newcomers at the helm of affairs, he could well have run his imagination wild. Well, perhaps there was some sort of 'enlightenment' in store for him (you would gain that contest, oops, context after watching the film) but for the audience, it comes across as a mix of too many tangents running in different directions.

(Spoilers ahead) So while there is Kuku (Siddharth Gupta - sweet boy, he is) whose family has a good reason to celebrate with matar-paneer when he escapes compartment in his board exams, his best friend Ronnie (Ashish Juneja - bundle of energy) has a job in hand which involves hunting matching blouses against sarees. In addition there is a bunch of other characters comprising of Kuku's cousin brother (Amit Sial - fantastic and believable), his girlfriend Mitthu (Simran Kaur Mundi - looking pretty and every bit a Dilli ki Punjaban), a Haryanvi actor & actress (riot,  every time they come on screen), a Bihari watchman and his wife (funny), a Baba, a Jagran singer, a grand dad and his cronies and many more. Sadly, instead of tying the film together, most of the characters go in their own direction, hence making the film's narrative haywire at many junctures.

While many of these characters have situations surrounding them that lead to an occasional chuckle or a full blown laughter, the film tends to lose direction, especially in the second hour. Really, when one was expecting some fun elements on this side of the film, the pace instead slackened, especially with the arrival of the baba (Brijendra Kala) who solves no purpose in the film.

The one who does bring in purpose to Kuku Mathur is the cousin (Amit Sial). While the character is loveable and the measures taken by him questionable, there are no doubts whatever about the conviction that this character carries. It is too good. Same is the case with Ashish who lights up the screen every time he comes on the screen. Independently, even the love story of the guard and his wife brings on smiles. And yes, the entire Prabhakar episode is the best of the lot and brings the house down.

However, it is numerous digressions that the film takes which make it an occasionally haywire affair. One can't decipher whether it is a film just about Kuku, his friendship with Ronnie, his relationship with his uncle, his enlightenment, his culinary interests or his childhood love story.

If all of it would have come together in a seamless manner with a satisfying culmination, then perhaps one would have labeled it as a coming of age film!